


Love Die Young

by hikarunara



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:01:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hikarunara/pseuds/hikarunara
Summary: What happens when it’s over? When we’ve taken our last breath? And we’ve loved each other to death, can you tell me what happens? I wonder where the love goes, when pleasure turns to pain. When the memories fade away, can you tell me what happens?Minghao hates hospitals, they've never been a source of happiness for him. Even when he meets Mingyu he can't help but do it with a grain of salt. But somehow, just as sure as the seasons change, Minghao finds himself falling madly and deeply in love with him. But when pleasure turns into pain it serves as a haunting reminder for the male, that all love dies young.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Love Die Young

"Do you need me to go in with you?" Joshua asked softly. Minghao looked out the window at the greying sky wordlessly, if he had it his way he wouldn't be here at all. With a sigh he reached for the handle and pushed the door open to swing out his leg. "No, i'll be done in an hour." He replied, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Joshua pulled the car away and left Minghao to stand there in front of the hospital. Its exterior caused his stomach to tighten just by looking at it, he hated this place.

To be fair, he hated any and all hospitals. No good news came from hospitals, all they did was provide pain to the most unsuspecting people. He tugged on the sleeves of his jacket and remained in place, no amount of screaming from his brain was enough to will his body to actually move. He wasn't even sure how long he had been standing in front of the building before he felt himself being watched. He glanced around until his eyes landed on what could only be described as a giant tree looking person who had a good few inches on him. Minghao stared at him for a moment, wondering what was so interesting that it caused him to be the center of the male's attention before sighing. "What?"

"You've been standing there for a minute." The stranger observed.

"Yeah, I'm deciding if I want to go in." And that was the end of that, Minghao had voiced his reason and was back to looking at the front doors trying to make his decision. Too bad the stranger didn't share his same thoughts.

"Whenever I have trouble making a decision I close my eyes, take a deep breath and count to ten."

Great. He was a talker.

Minghao put on a pained smile and looked at the male again who was now, for some reason unknown to him, standing closer. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." A few beats of silence welcomed their conversation until the male spoke again, causing Minghao to cringe, just how much did this guy like talking to strangers?

"What's your name?"

Now Minghao sighed loudly, enough that he's sure the other male heard him. When he looked at him however the male didn't show any signs that he caught how frustrated Minghao was. "I don't see how that's important."

"Mine is Mingyu, I just thought it would be nice if we at least knew each other's names." Minghao made a face and looked away from Mingyu instantly. He wasn't interested in making friends, you don't come to a hospital to make friends.

"I'm going inside now." Was all he said as he stepped over the threshold and walked inside. He didn't glance back at Mingyu and ignored the part of his brain to do just that. He checked in at the desk and filled out any paperwork that was required. He couldn't shake the feeling of being in the hospital, it honestly sucked to even be in here. When he was called back to see the doctor he pushed any thoughts aside and just hoped that this would be over soon.

"Alright we'll start with these medications and see how they work for you, i'll have them sent to the local pharmacy so you can pick them up there." The doctor said as he led Minghao out of the office. "Thanks, hopefully these help with my pain." Minghao replied, taking the hard copy of the prescriptions from the doctor's hands. "Alright make an appointment for next week and we can do a follow up." The doctor said as he waved goodbye to the male. Minghao nodded and turned to check out but ran into a wall, or at least what he thought was a wall.

"You're in pain?"

He sighed loudly as he recognized the voice immediately. "Were you spying on me, Mingyu?"

"I just happened to be walking by." He explained.

Minghao moved around him and went to the desk to check out and pay his bill for the day, when he was running his card the girl behind the desk smiled gently at Mingyu who returned her expression. "How are you feeling today Mingyu?" She asked softly. "Oh you know, same old same old. Tired as hell." He said with a throaty chuckle.

The girl smiled and turned her attention back to Minghao, pointing at where he needed to sign. "Thank you Mr. Xu, you have a good day." She said with a small bow of her head. Minghao nodded and moved to leave, noticing that Mingyu was no longer standing next to him and was speaking with one of the doctors from the floor. "You should be trying to rest Mingyu, being out won't help you sleep." He scolded. "Doc, you and I both know that it doesn't matter how much I try I'm not sleeping in that room."

Minghao turned and left the hospital hastily, not wanting to be there any longer than he had to be. He shot Joshua a text letting him know that he was waiting out front and took a seat on an unoccupied bench. The doors slid open and Mingyu walked out, taking a deep breath and stretching his hands over his head. Minghao gave the male a serious look this time instead of just looking at him in a passing glance. He had sun kissed skin and was a few inches taller than him, he seemed to have good body proportions and his light brown hair looked good on him. But Minghao also noticed one flaw on the male, the dark circles beneath his eyes.

"Ah Xu!" Mingyu said, waving his hand as he walked towards Minghao. The chinese male said nothing in return, simply looking forward so it didn't look like he'd just been staring at the male. "It's Minghao, that's my name." Mingyu didn't say anything just sat beside him and took a deep breath. "So, Minghao, why are you here?" He asked suddenly.

Minghao felt his fingers fidget with the hem of his dark t-shirt as he thought about if he should tell Mingyu. Honestly it wasn't the male's business and he didn't want him to mistaken his kindness as friendship because that was the last thing he needed. Lucky for him Joshua pulled up at that exact moment and Minghao jumped right up and reached for the door handle, thanking whatever god was watching over him to allow him to escape the question.

"Until next time, Minghao." Mingyu said with a smile. Minghao didn't respond just jumped in the car and told Joshua to drive. He tried to push the events of today out of his mind, not wanting to remember Mingyu, the doctor or how sick Mingyu looked, he just couldn't bare it.

The next week Minghao found himself in the same position, getting dropped off by his friend and walking into the all too familiar hospital. He checked in and had a seat, eyes trained out the window. It overlooked the gardens in the middle of the hospital, probably planted there to bring joy to those who have to live here long terms. Somehow, and don't ask him how, Minghao managed to locate Mingyu walking in those gardens. Today he dawned a large cream colored sweater and jeans, the outfit complimented him well. Minghao's brows furrowed when he saw another male walking with Mingyu, the two looked like they were deep in conversation and maybe even having an argument. As if he could feel Minghao watching him, Mingyu glanced up and caught his eyes almost immediately. Minghao pulled away from the window and turned his head back to the main hall of the hospital, hoping he hadn't been caught. Even so, why was he blushing?

"The medications seem to be helping you a bit, we'll hold on trying anything else for now. But if anything changes just contact me okay?" The doctor asked as he walked Minghao back to the front. "Thank you doctor." Minghao replied as he went to sign out.

"Oi, Mingyu!" The doctor called, startling Minghao. He glanced to his left and saw the tall male walking towards the doctor and giving him a strained smile. "Hey doc! Is Minghao giving you a lot of trouble today?" He asked with a grin. Minghao shot Mingyu a look as the doctor chuckled and waved his hand. "Minghao actually takes my advice, you could learn a thing or two from him." He laughed as he went back into his office.

"Minghao, I was hoping to run into you!" Mingyu said, turning his attention back to the smaller male. Minghao grimaced at the volume in which he spoke but turned to him regardless. "I wanted your number."

Minghao's face turned beet red when Mingyu said that, he glanced around quickly to try and make sure no one had over heard him before hitting his chest. "Don't just ask things like that! And no, you can't have my number." Minghao said as he moved around the male and went to leave.

"I'll keep asking you know, until you give it to me." Mingyu called. Minghao sighed and stopped in his tracks, he turned back to the male and gave him a soft glare. "Why do you want my number?" He asked hesitantly.

"I want to text you. And get to know you better." The taller replied simply.

Minghao thought on this for a moment. Every logical part of his brain told him that Mingyu and he were sick, that it made no sense to create a bond when they most likely wouldn't be living the same amount of time. Still, he found himself pulling out his phone and unlocking it before handing it over to the male. Mingyu looked practically giddy as he put his phone number in Minghao's phone and handed Minghao his phone in return.

"I can text you whenever, yeah?" Mingyu asked excitedly. Minghao sighed and nodded, knowing he probably won't be texting the male back anytime soon. "Sure, whatever." Minghao said as he turned to leave. Joshua was already waiting for him outside and he gladly crawled into the car to head back to their apartment, at this point he was exhausted and just wanted to go home.

It wasn't until later that night did Minghao receive a text from Mingyu, and of course he could hear Mingyu's voice when he read the text.

Text From: Gyu

 **Gyu:** Minghao!!!!! Sorry it took me so long to text you!

 **HaoHao:** It's fine Mingyu, shouldn't you be sleeping though?

 **Gyu** : I could ask you the same thing!

 **Gyu** : Anyways no, I don't normally sleep. It's kind of why I live at the hospital.

 **HaoHao** : Wait, you don't sleep?

 **Gyu** : Nah I have insomnia

Minghao didn't reply after that, he simply furrowed his brows and lay down on his bed. Insomnia huh? That normally didn't warrant someone to stay at the hospital full time. Still, Minghao thought as his eyes slid shut, there must be more to this Mingyu than what meets the eye.

* * *

"You sure you'll be okay for the weekend? If not I can stay." Joshua asked as he swung his bag over his shoulder. Minghao frowned at his friend and shook his head, wrapping his arms around his mid-section. "Go, it's not like you'll get every weekend off to see your mom for her birthday." He encouraged. Joshua smiled at his friend and gave him a comforting hug, squeezing him a bit before grabbing the remainder of his bags before leaving.

Minghao glanced around his apartment before taking a deep breath, if he was going to do it now would be the best time. He opened his phone and shot a quick text to Mingyu before grabbing the keys to the car Joshua had left behind for him to use. As he pulled up to the front of the hospital and parked he asked himself again why he was even doing this, why subject himself to something like this.

Because you care about him.

Minghao's eyes widened in shock at those words, surely he wasn't thinking that? He shook his head and climbed out of the car and began heading to the front of the hospital. He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath until it was released when he saw Mingyu already standing outside of the hospital. "I was so excited I packed right away!" Mingyu beamed as he held up his bag. Minghao gave him a small smile in return at how excited he seemed.

"Have you never had a sleepover before?"

Mingyu shook his head as Minghao lead him back to Joshua's car and laughed. "No, I don't sleep remember?" He grinned. Minghao hummed as Mingyu's overnight bag was placed in the car and the two made their way to a nearby store. They picked up some snacks for the evening and a couple of scary movies they could enjoy as well, as they stood in line at the checkout Minghao glanced at Mingyu for a moment. He looked like he was exhausted, his eyes had dark bags under them and Minghao felt a pang in his chest but he chose to ignore it, going ahead and just paying for the items and leaving.

"Whoa! Your place is amazing!"

Minghao chuckled when Mingyu came crashing inside of his apartment, he set down a few bags and began putting them away while Mingyu gave himself a small tour. Of course he didn't go into Joshua's room, his mother had raised him right after all.

The two spent the after noon watching horror movies and eat snacks well until the sun had set. Minghao felt fatigue starting to set in and glanced at Mingyu, he looked just as tired as he did but he figured that Mingyu probably couldn't sleep with insomnia.

"Minghao, can I ask you a question?" Mingyu asked softly. Minghao was caught off guard but simply nodded when Mingyu looked at him, noting that the taller male had turned his body so he was facing Minghao head on.

"Why do you go to the hospital?"

Minghao's eyes widened a bit at the question before letting out a light laugh and hit Mingyu's leg gently. "It's nothing too serious. I'm just getting help to manage my lupus." He explained. When Mingyu only gave him a confused look Minghao decided to dive deeper into what was happening. "My body's auto immune system is rejecting my major organs. You know how when you get a kidney transplant your body may recognize that it's not its own and reject it? That's what my body is doing. Only I haven't had a transplant, it just doesn't recognize my organs." He clarified.

Mingyu gave him a worried look and Minghao waved his worry off with a flick of his wrist. "Don't worry too much about it. It can be managed and a lot of people who have it live pretty long lives actually. The medication i've gotten over a couple of months ago now has really helped with the joint pain though." Minghao paused when he saw that Mingyu had taken a hold of his wrist and was holding it gently, he didn't think he'd ever been held so softly before.

He was even more shocked when Mingyu pulled him in for a hug, Minghao could feel his heart ramming against his ribcage as he was wrapped in Mingyu's embrace. He smelled amazing, like vanilla and coffee beans. "I don't want you to be in pain Minghao, I don't want you to die." Minghao was startled by his words and when he pulled away he gasped when he saw the tears that fell from Mingyu's eyes.

Don't ask Minghao why, because he won't know a good answer, he reached up and wiped the tears from the boy's eyes. "Mingyu...." He said softly. Without another word Mingyu leaned forward and brought their lips together in a soft and warm embrace. Minghao didn't move from his position but he welcomed the feeling of Mingyu's lips against his. Their mouths moved together until Mingyu pulled away to catch his breath and Minghao could get a good look at him.

Despite the bags beneath his eyes he looked beautiful against the dimmed lights, his lips covered in saliva and slightly swollen, he was amazing. Minghao leaned in again, this time crashing their lips together and putting a heat behind his movements. He was pushed back against the couch until Mingyu hovered above him and moved his lips to Minghao's neck. The chinese male let out gentle huffs and moans as Mingyu worked his way to his collarbone, his heart rate speeding up with each gentle touch.

Mingyu's thigh rubbed between Minghao's legs and he felt himself gasp at the sudden friction his body had received. Mingyu worked to lift up Minghao's shirt, exposing the slightly tanned skin of Minghao's mid-section. Minghao worked to get the rest of his shirt off and Mingyu followed suit, soon both men had their lips together again and Minghao could feel the sparks erupting in his chest each time Mingyu kissed him, it was as if his heart was set on fire. 

Mingyu moved to kiss along Minghao's chest and stomach, which caused him to shiver. He felt Mingyu pulling his sweat pants and boxers down, exposing him completely to the taller male. Minghao covered his face in embarrassment from the ordeal but soon felt Mingyu's fingers moving his hands away from his face.

"Don't, I want to see you." He whispered. This caused Minghao to blush furiously as Mingyu snaked down his body slowly. Minghao had never seen something so fucking hot in all his life, having a man kiss and worship his body as Mingyu was doing so now. He gathered the courage to look down at the tanned male that was now positioned between his legs, sharp tingles shot up his spine when he felt his hot breath on the inside of his thighs like a silent warning of what was to come.

The moment Mingyu's mouth took in his penis Minghao couldn't help the deep throated moan that escaped his lips. His back arched slightly when Mingyu took in its entirety and let is tongue drag slowly up the sides. "Fuck." He breathed heavily, his hand instinctively curled into Mingyu's hair which caused him to hum. The vibrations from Mingyu made Minghao's shaft grow even bigger inside of his mouth as Mingyu continued to suck on it. The room filled with the slurps and moans that were exchanged between the two, each time Minghao would move to cover his face Mingyu would pull his hand away so he could see the look of pleasure on his face.

"Mingyu, ah! I'm...I'm gonna..." Minghao gasped as he felt the heat in the pit of his stomach grow warmer. Mingyu put his hands on Minghao's waist to keep him from moving too much as he continued to suck on his cock. "Mingyu...I'm cumming!" Minghao warned as he reached his climax, jerking up into the other's mouth as he continued to suck Minghao through his high. When he'd finally recovered he immediately reached up and crashed his lips to Mingyu's tasting himself on the other male's lips.

"Take off your pants." Minghao breathed against his lips. Mingyu did as he was told and shimmied out of his own pants and underwear, discarding them into a pile on the floor. It didn't take much prepping until Mingyu was entering him, stretching him until Minghao was sure that he was going to get torn in two. "Give it a minute, it will feel better." Mingyu urged. Minghao simply nodded and wrapped his arms around the male's neck and gave him a deep kiss, it was then that Mingyu began moving.

The sounds of skin slapping skin bounced off the walls along with the moans from the boys, each time Minghao felt like covering his face he cupped Mingyu's instead, not wanting to miss a moment of this. It didn't take long for Mingyu to reach his high and soon the boys were laying with each other attempting to capture their breaths. "Mingyu...." Minghao whispered after a moment of silence. Mingyu grunted in reply, moving so he could look down at the other.

"You don't just have insomnia, do you?" He asked.

The silence hung in the air for a moment before Mingyu moved to get off of him. He sat on the other edge of the couch silently, his chest rising and falling slowly as Minghao watched him. "It's called ffi. I don't know a lot about it." Mingyu admitted.

Minghao's eyes widened in horror, not because Mingyu hadn't looked into it but because....he'd found out about it after googling insomnia the other night. "Mingyu....isn't that-"

"Fatal? Yeah."

The two sat there for a moment and Minghao couldn't help but feel guilty that he had brought it up. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I've made peace with it." Mingyu stood up and stretched before turning to Minghao and giving him a smile. "Besides, I'm surrounded by good people, i'm not that nervous about it."

 _But you should be_ , Minghao thought. _FFI will kill you Mingyu...there's no cure._

* * *

A few weeks later Minghao found himself walking to the hospital again, Joshua had offered him a ride but Minghao needed some time to clear his head. After their weekend together Minghao knew that their relationship had now reached a point of no return, though Mingyu didn't seem to share his concerns. He had carried on like nothing had changed at all. But Minghao couldn't pretend that he hadn't heard what Mingyu had called his disease. He'd actually even done more research to know what would happen to the male he had become so fond of, he had to stop after a few moments.

He entered the hospital and tugged on his jacket as he made his way to Mingyu's room, making a mental note to talk to Mingyu about this when the time was right. However, Minghao paused when he saw that Mingyu had a visitor sitting outside of his room looking down at his phone.

"Are you here to see Mingyu?" Minghao asked, interrupting the stranger.

The male looked up from his phone and Minghao couldn't help but go red in the face. The male was drop dead gorgeous, pretty enough that he could be a world class model. "No, my boyfriend Seungcheol is." He said, pointing into the room.

Minghao nodded and stood there awkwardly, thinking that he should just go home and come back tomorrow when Mingyu wouldn't have visitors.

"You must be Minghao." The stranger said.

Minghao looked at him with a confused look and the male chuckled. "I'm Jeonghan. Mingyu talks about you a lot."

"Oh, I see." Minghao said quietly.

"You should leave him be." Minghao's head snapped up and he looked at Jeonghan who wore a grim expression. "It will be easier in the end if you don't have strong ties to him." Minghao opened his mouth to argue but at that moment another male exited the room and gained his attention. He recognized the male as the one he'd seen in the garden with Mingyu...it made sense now he supposed. "Oi, you must be Minghao!"

"MINGHAO?!" The shrill voice filled the hall and Mingyu came rushing out. "Mingyu, calm down." Minghao scolded as he held up his hands. His eyes took in how Mingyu looked and he had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stop from saying anything. Mingyu was already a skinny individual but he had clearly lost a lot of weight since he'd last seen him.

That's a side effect, Minghao thought.

Mingyu either didn't notice or ignored Minghao's expression because he wrapped him in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're here!" He said happily. Minghao wrapped his arms around the male, flinching when he felt how tiny Mingyu really was.

"We were just leaving, but it was good to see you Mingyu." Seungcheol said, waving goodbye to his friend. "Oi Jeonghan, next time you can come in too!" Mingyu teased.

"We both know that won't be happening." Jeonghan called over his shoulder. Mingyu let out a chuckle and Minghao looked at him with a worried expression. "Honestly, does it not bother you that your friends don't want to be too close to you?" He asked. Mingyu shrugged and let Minghao into his room, letting him sit on the edge of the bed. "Eh not really. I mean I can understand why they don't want to be too close." He admitted.

This made Minghao angry, how could he not care that his friends were literally avoiding him? "Besides, they stuck around a lot longer than my parents."

Minghao's eyes opened wide when he said that, he hadn't even realized that he'd yet to meet Mingyu's parents or see them visit him in the hospital since he'd started coming here. Minghao had begged his mom to let him move here with his friend so he could get his treatments so he knew he'd rarely see her but Mingyu hadn't even brought up his parents until now.

"Where are your parents?" He asked quietly.

Mingyu stopped what he was doing and looked over at Minghao with a strange look. "Honestly, I don't know. The last I knew they were in Russia." He said, turning and motioning to the door. "I want to go to the beach."

Minghao stared at him and then at the door for a moment before turning back to the male and giving him a confused look. "Did you ask if you could go?" He questioned. Mingyu shook his head and walked out the door, causing Minghao to jump off his bed and rush after him. "Mingyu you can't just leave the hospital!" He scolded softly. "Why not? I did it when I spent the night at your place."

At that Minghao turned red from embarrassment, causing Mingyu to wrap his arm around the boy's shoulder and lead him outside and past the girls at the front desk. "See? They don't even realize i'm gone."

Minghao found it sad that Mingyu could live so carefree despite what was happening. His life was ending and there was nothing he could do to stop it. And yet, here they were at the beach splashing water and building sand castles together. "You know, your castle is nothing compared to mine!" Mingyu said with a grin. Minghao picked up a stray shell and tossed it at Mingyu's castle causing the male to let out a shocked screech which made Minghao stifle a laugh.

"Don't do that."

Minghao paused and looked at the male in confusion, Mingyu now had a serious expression as he looked at the male. "Don't cover your face when you smile or laugh. I like seeing you like that." Minghao felt himself grow red again as he tried to look away and busy himself with the sand, this of course made Mingyu smile himself. He glanced over Minghao's shoulder for a moment, his eyes trained on something a few yards away.

"Minghao?"

The chinese male glanced up and saw tears brimming in the corners of Mingyu's eyes, a look of worry crossed his face. "Are those people really there?"

Minghao looked over his shoulder in the direction of Mingyu's eyesight, praying that whoever Mingyu had seen was really there and that it was all going to be okay. With a sigh he looked back at Mingyu and gave him a saddened look.

"No Mingyu, no one is there."

* * *

Over the next few months Minghao visited Mingyu everyday and everyday it began to grow harder for him. Seeing the boy he cared for grow sicker and sicker. Seungcheol and Jeonghan didn't come around and honestly he didn't blame them, the words Jeonghan had said to him constantly echoed in the back of his mind.

The hallucinations grew gradually worse, to the point that Mingyu had trouble figuring out what was real and what wasn't. If he ever grew too confused he would call Minghao at any hours of the night, and as annoying as it could be Minghao honestly didn't mind.

It was late one night that Minghao couldn't sleep, he laid in bed and stared at the ceiling silently. It was raining outside and the droplets landed gently against his window. He sighed loudly when his eyes refused to close and he grabbed his phone, hoping to find some relief online. His phone gave him a notification that Mingyu had texted him how the rain reminded him of Minghao and before he knew it, Minghao was grabbing his jacket and umbrella and heading outside.

He stepped into the hospital and was surprised that there was no one there at the front desk. Probably for the best, they would stop him from seeing Mingyu. He quickly made his way to the elevator and pressed the button to Mingyu's floor, making sure to keep his head down. When he finally did make it to Mingyu's door he opened it quickly and shut it, startling the male who was sitting up in his bed.

"Uh the nurse just came and did rounds." He said in an obviously tired voice.

Minghao removed his hoodie and met Mingyu's eyes which were now as big as saucers and matched his giant smile. He jumped from his bed and ran to him, wrapping him into a big hug which Minghao welcomed and returned.

"Why are you here?!" He asked excitedly. Minghao tried to ignore just how skinny he looked in these damn hospital gowns and let him be led to the bed. "I couldn't sleep and figured I could see you." He said with sigh. Minghao lay next to Mingyu quietly, the steady breaths of the other male were making his eyes grow heavy finally and a feeling of guilt seeped into his chest.

"Don't feel sorry for me." Minghao almost flinched at Mingyu's voice until he realized that he thought Minghao was sleeping and not still awake. "It only gets harder from here, I hope you know that. I don't want you to leave but if you do I won't hold it against you." Mingyu whispered in a choked up voice. Minghao had to do his best not to speak, only wanting to comfort the male that lay beside him.

"You're my world Minghao."

Minghao wasn't sure when he fell asleep but he fell asleep with a heavy heart and a burdened mind. He didn't want to leave Mingyu, that was kind of out of the question at this point. But he also didn't want to lose him either. Was that selfish? He knew how this was going to end, but was it honestly selfish for him to wish for a bit more time with the man he'd come to care about the most?

* * *

Minghao's doctor had moved offices and now had a private location, so it made it harder for him to see Mingyu on the days he had appointments. The drugs had done well at fist but at this point they weren't as good as they used to be. It was frustrating but he learned to deal with it, he supposes that's a trait he's picked up from Mingyu over the past few months. As he was exiting the office area he felt his phone buzzing in his bag and reached in to grab it. When he saw it was Joshua he answered it quickly, holding his phone up to his hear.

"Minghao?! Where the hell have you been?!" Joshua asked in a panicked voice. "I was at my appointement, what's going on?" He asked, stopping in his tracks in the middle of the sidewalk, earning himself a few nasty glares from passerbys.

"It's Mingyu."

He dropped his phone right there on the ground and took off running for the hospital. Ignoring the surprise of those around him and the stares he got as he ran past, the only thought running through his mind at this point was Mingyu. Was he okay? Was he hurt?

Was he dead?

He ran past the check in desk, ignoring the female calling for him to check in and ran straight for the stairs. He shoved the door open and raced up the steps as quickly as he could, crashing into the floor Mingyu was on and running towards his door. Seungcheol was sitting outside of the room and looked up when he saw a panting Minghao racing up to the door. "Minghao?! Why are you running?!" He asked, jumping up.

"Joshua....called....Mingyu?" He gasped out between breaths.

"He's fine." Seungcheol cut in. Minghao looked at him in confusion and stood up, peering into the room and gasping. Mingyu had been loosing weight at a steady rate but....he'd lost so much in such a short amount of time! He was practically just skin and bones at this point. "Well...as fine as he can be." Minghao looked back at Seungcheol, his left hand covering his mouth as tears stung his eyes.

"He weights 98 pounds." Seungcheol said quietly. Minghao braced himself against the wall and slid into one of the chairs slowly. He felt the tears falling down his cheeks and running across his fingers but he couldn't will them to stop. "Jeonghan is in there now." Seungcheol said, taking a seat next to Minghao gently. Minghao sniffled and glanced up at Seungcheol and to his shock the man was holding onto his own tears as well.

"Minghao...I can't stay with him anymore. I can't look at him anymore." He admitted sadly.

Minghao looked down and allowed his hands to ball into fists in frustration. This wasn't how it was supposed to be! Mingyu shouldn't be going through this, it wasn't fair! He opened his mouth to say something but footsteps interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and saw Jeonghan, cheeks stained with tears, standing in front of them as if he were a little boy. Seungcheol stood up and Jeonghan embraced him without a word, sobbing into the male's shoulder.

Minghao looked at the two in surprise since Jeonghan had come across as someone who somewhat could keep it together. Seungcheol looked at Minghao and gave him a small nod, one that he returned, before leading Jeonghan down the hallway and disappearing out of sight. It took Minghao a few more moments to compose himself before he could even enter the room and god Mingyu looked so fucking small.

"I was wondering when you were coming inside." Mingyu said softly. Minghao gave him a small smile and sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at his bedding as if it were the most interesting thing in the world."I saw Jeonghan came inside." He replied, trying to avoid speaking about it.

Mingyu nodded, his fingers reaching out to touch Minghao's hand gently. "He and Seungcheol came to say goodbye." He said softly. Minghao was trying really hard no t to cry as Mingyu spoke, just thinking about goodbyes was enough to almost make him come to tears.

"Mingyu..."

"I wanted to say goodbye to you too." Mingyu interrupted. Minghao's head whipped towards him and he gave him a shocked expression. "What?" He asked. "I only get worse from here Minghao, I don't want you to see me like this." Mingyu replied. Minghao took a deep breath and looked at Mingyu sternly, he took his hand and held it as softly as possible. "Mingyu, i'm not leaving you."

"Minghao..."

"I'm serious. We're in too deep together for me to just leave you. I can understand why Seungcheol and Jeonghan can't do it but....but I can't do that to you." Minghao admitted.

Mingyu let silent tears fall down his cheeks as he looked at Minghao with such adoration. Minghao leaned down and pressed his lips softly to Mingyu's. Even though they were dry and chapped it still sent sparks shooting through his chest when they connected. When he pulled away he rested his head against Mingyu's and sighed gently.

"I'll be with you always."

* * *

Mingyu's health only worsened from there. Soon he couldn't walk, stand or even eat anything solid. It pained Minghao to see him turn into this but he tried to stay positive in front of Mingyu for his sake.

"Hao...." Mingyu said weakly.

Minghao looked up from his phone to him, giving him his full attention. "I...want....." Mingyu struggled. Minghao placed his hand on Mingyu's chest gently, urging him to take his time when trying to speak.

"Your...fam...ily..." He managed to finish.

"You want to meet my family?" Minghao asked. Mingyu nodded slowly and gave him a small smile. Minghao took Mingyu's hand and gave it a squeeze but if Mingyu noticed he didn't say anything.

It went on like this for a few more weeks. It only got harder for Mingyu to speak and Minghao knew it was only a moment of time before he would lose him forever. It was a quiet day when Minghao had been thinking this, he'd been sitting next to Mingyu on the bed, his eyes trained on the small tv screen but not actually watching it. He hadn't even realized when he had started crying, in fact it was Mingyu who had pointed it out.

He reached up and with a shaky finger he stopped a tear from falling. Minghao gasped and quickly wiped his eyes, but it didn't do any good, they just kept falling no matter what he did. "What...wrong?" Mingyu murmured. His voice sounded so broken, he sounded so weak and looked so....so....sick.

Minghao began sobbing, not even caring that he was being loud at this point. The tears just kept streaming down his cheeks, he hadn't even realized he was shaking until Mingyu set his hand on Minghao's leg.

"Why you? Why did this have to happen to you?!" He sobbed. "I don't want you to die Mingyu, I don't want you to die." There was a shuffle in the bed and Minghao felt what could only be described as a hug from Mingyu. Though it was soft and barely had any strength behind it Minghao appreciated it. After a few moments he had calmed down and was back to laying with Mingyu in his bed. He felt so bad for crying like that, Minghao hadn't cried like that in years and yet here he was spilling his guts in front of him.

"Love..you."

Minghao's eyes widened when he heard those words, he turned his head towards Mingyu who was looking at him with a strained smile. "I..."

"I love you too."

Two days later Minghao walked into Mingyu's room slowly, he saw Mingyu was facing the window and looking outside. He slowly looked over at Minghao and a smile spread across his lips. "Hao." He said in a hoars voice.

Minghao rushed to his bedside, shushing him and cupping his cheeks soflty. "Shhh, I have a surprise for you." He said softly. Mingyu stared at him until he saw the movement coming from behind Minghao. "Hello, Mingyu isn't it?" The female said as she reached and took his hand gently. "I'm Minghao's mother."

Mingyu looked at Minghao in confusion and Minghao couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Remember? You said you wanted to meet my family?"

Mingyu shook his head and looked away sadly. "Don't....remember."

Minghao looked to his mother who gave him a reassuring smile. She stayed the rest of the afternoon and, despite him not remembering asking to meet her, Mingyu seemed to have a good day with Minghao and his mother. When the sun had set Minghao's mother said her goodbye's and excused herself to leave. Minghao stayed the night that night, crawling into bed with him and nestling his head into Mingyu's neck.

"I love you gyu."

"Love...you....hao."

The next day they took it slow, most of it was just Minghao sitting in the chair next to Mingyu's bed and holding his hand softly. "You'll like my hometown. When the cherryblossoms bloom it will take your breath away." Minghao mumbled. Mingyu just smiled and continued staring at Minghao without saying a word, these days more often than not he wouldn't say anything. Minghao didn't mind, it was hard to hear him try to speak anyway.

Minghao didn't know when he had fallen asleep but when he did it was the late afternoon. He grunted a bit, going to wipe his eyes when he saw that Mingyu's hand was still resting on top of his.....

It felt cold to the touch.

He felt his chest tighten when he looked up to Mingyu's face. The gentle eyes that normally looked back at him were finally closed in an eternal sleep. He felt his eyes starting to tear up as he reached up and touched Mingyu's face softly. "No...No please." He begged softly, bringing his forehead against the other male's. And that's when he just started crying, letting the tears fall freely as he held onto Mingyu one last time. There was so much he had wanted to do with the male, so much he had wanted to see and it was all taken away from him too soon. Minghao let his hands drop from his lover and he stood slowly. With a gentle sigh he went and alerted the nurses of his passing.

Minghao left with the cream colored sweater that he'd seen Mingyu wear often, it smelled like the male and it brought back fresh memories of Mingyu laughing and smiling at him. Moments Minghao wished he would never forget.

When he got back home he asked Joshua to borrow his phone. Joshua didn't have to ask why, he just handed it to him without a word.

"Hello?"

Minghao wiped the tears from his eyes and took a small breath. "Is this Seungcheol?"

* * *

It was weeks before Minghao could bring himself to visit Mingyu's grave. He didn't attend the funeral, the last memory he had with Mingyu was telling him how much he loved him and that's how he wanted to remember him.

He knelt in front of the cold stone and placed his hand on top of it, strangely enough he didn't cry as he looked at the headstone....he felt at peace. "Do you miss him?"

Minghao looked over his shoulder as Jeonghan placed a rose at the bottom of headstone, Seungcheol stood behind them with his hands in his pockets. "Every day. But I know i'll see him again." He said with a sigh.

"You know, he always believed that he would always find his true love no matter where they were in life. That with time they would always find each other." Seungcheol said softly. Minghao smiled a bit at his words, he'd always though that as well but also thought it was foolish. He knew he probably would never see his lover ever again and he had made peace with that for some reason.

"Come on, i'll make us something for dinner." Jeonghan encouraged as Seungcheol took his hand. "You two go ahead, i'll catch up." Minghao replied. Once the two left him alone he turned back to Mingyu's grave and put his hand gently across the engravement of his name.

"I know it's selfish to even think this, but I wish I could see you again." He said softly. A warm breeze blew past him and Minghao swore he could feel the comforting hand of Mingyu's on his shoulder. The same warm feeling of being in his embrace spread through his body and Minghao smile soflty. "Mingyu..."

And then a voice as soft as a whisper filled his left ear.

"I love you too."


End file.
